National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004-Conference Report

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004-CONFERENCE REPORT

Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I extend my thanks and appreciation to the Senator from Michigan for yielding and allowing me to say a few words during his comments. Particularly I express my appreciation to the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, the distinguished Senator from Virginia. The manner in which we have seen them navigate the traffic jam here on the floor this afternoon on this important legislation is indicative of the cooperative and collaborative effort that both the ranking member and the chairman have demonstrated throughout this lengthy process of reconciling not only coming up with a bill but reconciling the differences between the House and Senate on this important legislation.

I rise to say a few words about the Defense authorization conference report that is before the body today. On Veterans Day in 1954, President Eisenhower called upon all Americans to not only remember the sacrifices of those who fought so valiantly but to rededicate themselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace.

Today, almost 50 years later, we recall the dedication of all our veterans as we honor them on Veterans Day 2003. We take this time to honor them because they gave so much to all of us and to say a prayer for the men and women laboring overseas even now to spread the light of freedom to a land that was previously cloaked in darkness.

We must always remember the old adage which is still true that freedom is not free but was bought and paid for by the sacrifices of generations that have gone before us and, indeed, even the present one.

I can't help but think about my own father when I think about the sacrifices of generations that have gone before, because he was a member of that greatest generation who at a young age flew in the Army Air Corps in a B-17 over Nazi Germany. On his 13th mission, he was shot down and captured by the enemy and imprisoned for 4 months in a German prison camp.

Later, when General Patton and his troops came through and liberated him and his colleagues, my dad would return to this country, to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he met my mother and where they married and raised a family and really became, as I said a moment ago, what we have come to know as the greatest generation. We owe, indeed, everything we have to the contributions and the preservation of our freedoms that they made. It is they and others like them who, since that time, have fought in the cause of freedom that we honor today.

I think it is altogether fitting that we consider this bill on Veterans Day because it accomplishes great things for all of the members of our Armed Forces, both active and retired, as well as their families. I have been amazed at how the senior Senator from Virginia, Chairman Warner, has navigated this important legislation through the difficult conference committee process. I know it was not easy. It has been my pleasure to work with and learn from him during the course of my service on the Armed Services Committee.

This legislation authorizes more than $400 billion in budget authority for defense programs in fiscal year 2004. I strongly believe it is our duty to ensure that the U.S. military has the resources they need, whether it be the equipment, the facilities, or the training to do the job we have asked them to do, and to win the war on terror.

In short, we must do whatever is required to maintain our military's status as the greatest fighting force on the face of the planet, even as we transform the nature of that force to face the challenges of the future.

I am proud of the work that has been accomplished here in terms of providing an expanded entitlement to concurrent receipt to include thousands of more veterans. I believe it is indeed a major step in the right direction. Our veterans have more than earned this; they deserve it. I am glad this bill will expand the special compensation for the combat-related disabilities program to include all veterans whose disabling condition was due to combat or combat-related operations.

I strongly believe we are honor-bound to keep our commitment to our men and women in uniform and that our support of them will not end when they leave active duty and go into retirement. No veteran should ever be left behind. I will continue
to work in this body to make sure that Texas veterans, indeed all veterans, receive the benefits they so richly deserve.

Our men and women in uniform, whether they be active duty or reservists, or members of the National Guard, are all doing a tremendous job fighting the war on terror. So I am especially glad to see that this bill provides for an average pay raise of 4.1 percent, provides enhanced access to TRICARE for members of the Reserves, and authorizes increased hostile fire pay and family separation allowances to continue.

When someone leaves their home to fight for the cause of freedom abroad, we know it affects not just that soldier, or that sailor, or that marine, or that airman; it affects their entire community, it affects their friends, and it affects their families. So we must not think only of the service of the brave men and women who fight on the battlefield, but the sacrifices their families make at home. Of course we must remember, above all, those whose loved ones will not be coming back, who paid the ultimate price so others may live free.

I especially acknowledge the hard work Chairman Warner and the senior Senator from Arizona did on the Boeing tanker lease. I believe they were able to achieve an excellent compromise, one that will save the taxpayers more than $4 billion. It is critical that, while we allocate needed funds to ensure our Nation's defense, we also spend the money in a careful and fiscally responsible manner. I believe they have accomplished that, and we will accomplish that by approving the bill today.

Finally, I thank the conferees, and particularly the leadership, the chairman and ranking member, and others who have worked so hard, for including the bulk of the Military Citizenship Act, a bill I introduced, which will expedite the naturalization process for nearly 37,000 men and women serving in our Armed Forces who are not U.S. citizens. It will reduce waiting times, waive normal fees, and require the Secretary of Defense to enact a policy that facilitates the opportunity for a member of the armed services to finalize naturalization, including the granting of high priority for emergency leave and transportation on military aircraft. I believe there is no better way for us to honor the heroism and sacrifice of those who risk their lives for our fundamental national values than to offer them a full opportunity to enjoy the blessings of American citizenship.

In 1944, Winston Churchill spoke in the Royal Albert Hall to the veterans of another war, and he reminded them of the great and just cause they served. He said:

We are joined together in this union of action which has been forced upon us by our common hatred of tyranny. Shedding our blood side by side, struggling for the same ideals, until the triumph of the great causes which we serve shall be made manifest. . . . Then, indeed, there will be a day of thanksgiving, one in which all the world will share.

Coming up to the current time in Iraq, of course, we know the fight is ongoing and there is still much to be done. But the difference our Armed Forces have made in such a short time is undeniable.

Less than a year ago, the idea that the Iraqi people could ever live in freedom was nothing but a dream. Now the vision of a free, prosperous, and peaceful Iraq is in sight. The day of thanksgiving is not here yet, but it is coming.

Thanks to the leadership of President Bush and the professionalism and patriotism of our Armed Forces, and the sacrifices of their families, it is coming soon.

One out of every 10 active-duty military personnel calls Texas home. I am honored to represent them, along with the senior Senator from Texas, Mrs. Hutchison. I am proud-and I know we are both proud-of the work that has been done on this Defense authorization bill to serve their needs while enhancing our national security. I wish our brave men and women in uniform godspeed and look forward to the day when these young men and women can stand beside veterans of past wars as living examples of selflessness and courage for the cause of freedom.

Madam President, I yield the floor.